We’re excited to share a short clip with our followers about a memorable encounter our team had during their trip to Ukraine this spring. They met with Sergey and Olesya Tovstyk, the heroes of our film “Everyone Has Their Own War” (watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/279780710).

On September 13, 2014, during battles near the settlement of Krasnyi Partizan in the Donetsk region, Sergey Tovstyk lost his left arm in a mortar shelling. His right arm was later amputated in the hospital due to injuries. Watch our four-minute short clip to see how the Tovstyk family is living now, ten years after this life-changing event.

Exciting Project Update!

Our team members are involved in various fascinating projects, and one of them focuses on a beautiful Hindu temple in Brampton, adorned by the talented Toronto artist Alexei Dymov.

As part of the filming process, on Thursday, July 18, our film crew under the guidance of Maxim Kravchinsky visited the Canadian Museum of Indian Civilization in Richmond Hill. Here, a special ceremony was held to honor Dr. Doobay for his upcoming awarding of the Order of Canada.

Stay tuned for more updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses!

As a continuation of our previous post, we are excited to share more about the incredible progress our team has made in filming the project “The Electric City: Nikola Tesla in Canada,” under the expert guidance of acclaimed documentary film producer Felix Golubev (@golubev.felix).

On July 10th, officially declared “Nikola Tesla Day” by Mayor Jim Diodati in 2015 and later enacted into law across Ontario by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, we celebrated Tesla Fest—a festival of broader scope and significance.

The festival began with the laying of flowers at the Nikola Tesla monument, which has graced the Canadian side since 2006. This year, the ceremony was attended by the Serbian Ambassador to Canada, who also participated in our filming. The Ambassador graciously gave an interview, sharing his thoughts about Nikola Tesla and his brilliant inventions.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the organizer of the Tesla Day Fest, Borislav Zivkovic, for his immense help and support.

We are thrilled to announce that over the past two weeks, our team members have made significant strides in filming the project “The Electric City: Nikola Tesla in Canada,” under the expert guidance of the acclaimed documentary film producer Felix Golubev (@golubev.felix).

On July 12, the first shoot began at 6 am. Our team was fortunate to receive permission to film in a unique museum housed in one of the first hydroelectric power stations in Niagara, constructed with Tesla’s technology at the beginning of the twentieth century. Filming concluded at 10 am, just as the museum opened to visitors.

We had the rare opportunity to capture the operation of a giant Tesla coil, explore a vast tunnel on the -6th floor, and exit through it to the very foot of the waterfall.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Mrs. Sarah Wood, Senior Manager of Niagara Park Commissions, and Mr. Veroslav Djurdjevic, President of the Nikola Tesla Educational Corporation, for their invaluable help and support.

 Birthday Wishes! 

A special birthday shoutout to our incredible team member Maxim Kravchinsky @kismet_1938, who celebrated his birthday on Friday, July 19. Maxim always seeks out fascinating historical details that enrich our projects, discovers new topics that turn into captivating stories, and consistently demonstrates remarkable dedication and hard work. Happy Birthday, Maxim! Your contributions are invaluable to our success.

Our ECG Productions team continues their journey in Ukraine for the project “Gulag: Witnesses”, capturing powerful stories of resilience and legacy. Last week, on June 16, we had the honor of meeting the family of Yevhen Hrytsiak, a key leader of the 1953 Norilsk Uprising. The Ukrainian people, along with the Baltic nations, were at the forefront of these gulag camp uprisings, showcasing incredible bravery and resistance.

In the morning, we filmed in a nearby village, featuring Yevhen Hrytsiak’s grandson and daughter. This experience highlighted a remarkable continuity of courage, connecting the past with the present. Yevhen Hrytsiak’s legacy lives on through his family, as well as through the story of Mykola Molofoy, who recently sacrificed his life defending Ukraine.

Our visit also included capturing significant artifacts, such as a prison robe that belonged personally to Hrytsiak, which you can see in one of the photos. These items, along with the stories shared by his family, deeply moved us and provided a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom.

Stay tuned as we continue to bring you more stories and behind-the-scenes moments from our journey. We are dedicated to sharing the rich history and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

 Exciting Update from ECG Productions! 

Our talented team has been hard at work filming for our project, “Nation’s Memory on the Artist’s Palette,” directed by the brilliant Anastasiia Mateshko. In these behind-the-scenes photos, you can see Anastasiia deeply immersed in her work, capturing the essence of the beautiful landscapes of the Ukrainian country club “Poltava” alongside the artists of the Ukrainian Association of Visual Artists of Canada (USOM).

Pictured with her is Ivan Kyba, our skilled cameraman, capturing every moment with precision.

On June 15, 2024, our team experienced a day full of creativity and inspiration, painting en plein air and soaking in the serene atmosphere. The camaraderie and artistic energy in the air were truly palpable, making it a memorable day for everyone involved.

Stay tuned for more updates and behind-the-scenes glimpses as we continue this incredible journey! 

In recent days, our team in Ukraine witnessed and became part of a deeply tragic event – the burial procession of a fallen Ukrainian hero. We would like to share the poignant testimony of this event, narrated by our colleague Olga Antimony:

“That morning, the entire district and community were waiting. A Viber chat was created, with people passing on updates about the convoy’s location and when it would cross the regional border. As evening approached, a sudden wind picked up and it began to rain. I was wearing a light dress, and someone quietly draped a sweater over me, while another person handed me an umbrella. The sense of empathy and unity in that moment was incredible. People dressed in black stood together, offering each other support.

The daughter of Mykola Molofii, who had fallen in Donbas, stood in the middle of the street by the yard, which was lined with rose petals. The sturdy house, the yard, and the summer kitchen were likely built by her father. She was lightly dressed, with bare arms drenched by the rain, yet she seemed oblivious to the cold. She stood with her hands behind her back, legs wide apart, firmly grounded like a man. They say she provided DNA samples to identify her father’s remains.

Mykola had perished on May 5th – the team was transporting ammunition to the front line. A mine, drone, or direct hit detonated the vehicle. All seven men inside were killed. ‘Plyve Kacha,’ the song that has been used since Maidan to honor each fallen hero in Ukraine, began to play. Across the road stood a car with a portrait in the driver’s seat – presumably Mykola’s car.

I can’t stop thinking that these people are unconquerable. To take away their language, history, or Ukraine would be like stripping away their skin. It’s impossible.

In 2002, Mykola Molofii left for Spain. When the ATO began in 2014, he became a volunteer. He formed a group called ‘Koloss,’ consisting of 17 people, who helped Ukrainian soldiers by providing vehicles, medicines, and food. At the onset of the full-scale invasion, he returned to Ukraine and volunteered to fight. On March 13, 2022, he took the oath in Kryvyi Rih and was assigned to the 40th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of Territorial Defense ‘Kryvbas.’ He initially fought in the Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia directions, and in April 2023, he and his comrades were redeployed to Avdiivka. Mykola died on May 5, 2024, in Donetsk Oblast. He left behind two sisters, a wife, three daughters, and four grandchildren. He never learned of his granddaughter’s birth.”

We are excited to share more photos with our followers from our team’s visit to the Kryivka National History Museum in Ukraine. The immersive atmosphere vividly conveyed the experiences of the underground insurgents to our team members.

Another day of our journey through Ukraine – filming in the Basovsky Forest, capturing the “kryivkas” (hideouts) of the Ukrainian underground movement.

Kryivkas began to appear in the 1930s when the lands were part of Poland and continued to be used until the late 1950s. The location for a bunker was chosen based on three criteria: concealment, inaccessibility to the enemy, and the possibility of retreat. Sometimes hideouts were found in church domes or in unexpected places like a well’s side hole. Members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) would descend two meters by chain, open a door, and crawl through a tunnel. The household provided food: the housewife would place prepared meals in a bucket, go to the well under the pretense of fetching water, and lower the meal to the door. The network of kryivkas was so dense that in the village of Topilsk in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, they were found in 44 out of 105 houses.

In the spring of 1944 alone, 530 hideouts were discovered in Volhynia. These storage places contained about 170 tons of grain, 29 tons of other products, nearly a thousand firearms, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. The hardest part was hiding the excavated soil, which was either dumped into a nearby river or spread on freshly plowed fields. Some hideouts accommodated several people who wouldn’t leave for months, especially in winter, to avoid leaving traces in the snow. They had multiple exits, beds, toilet rooms, storage for provisions, medicines, and weapons, ventilation systems, a supply of firewood, oil, and even autonomous wells. To maintain morale, a strict daily schedule was followed, with time dedicated to intense military and covert operations training. Entering such a hideout, everyone understood it could become their grave at any moment.

When the NKVD discovered a hideout, they would surround it and offer the underground fighters a chance to surrender. Upon refusal, they would begin shooting and throwing grenades. Sometimes, to capture the insurgents alive, paralyzing gas was used. For the worst-case scenario, the insurgents always had one last bullet saved for themselves.

Podgorye is also significant for the events of 1924, when Sich Riflemen of the Ukrainian Galician Army perished at the hands of Poles. Mikhail Bendyuk, whose family has both victims and perpetrators of these past conflicts, believes that reconciliation is possible through mutual apologies. He said, “I forgive them for burning my grandmother and grandfather alive with their children—my mother’s family, leaving her, a three-year-old, orphaned. She survived by sheer chance, being in a neighbor’s yard. And I ask forgiveness from the Poles for my uncle burning a Polish village in retaliation, killing those who refused to leave their homes. It no longer matters who started it or why. It is all cruel and unjust.”

These images serve as a testament to the resilience and efforts to remember and heal past wounds, as Ukraine rebuilds its historical narrative.